Shock absorber



Mg. M, H923. 11,465,623

R. RAGSDLE SHOCK ABSORBER Filed oct. 1o. :1921

Patented ,Aug 14, 1923i narran RAYMOND RAGSDALE, OF RTEEVILLE, CALFORNIA.

snoer: assesses.

Application filed ctober 10, 1921. Serial No. 506,770.

To all/whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, RiiYMoND Rl-iGsnALn, a

vcitizen of the United States, and resident 'of Porterville, county of Tulare, and State 'of California,V have invented a new and useiul Shock Absorber,V of which the following is a specification.

rlhe present invention relates to improvements in shock absorbers tor. motor vehicles and is adapted to be used principally in connection with so-called cantilever springs7 two ot' which ordinarily co-operate in supporting the body in such Va manner that theyv are oppositely arranged, their base ends resting on a support while their other ends extend arc like toward each other and support the body of the motor vehicle. IThe two base ends of the springs are usually supported on the tro-'nt and rear axles respectively and anyl jolt or shock transmitted to either of said axles from the wheels is ordinarily transmitted directly to the body o Vthe vehicle through the springs.

n lt is the Object of my invention to interpose a shock absorbing means between t-he axle and the body of the vehicle which will Y cause any shock transmitted to the spring from either ot the axles to actuate the spring froml opposite directions and to thus spend its torce in a 'number ot minor vibrations without substantiallyV affecting the body itself.

In the accompanying drawing my shock absorber is shown-in connection with the front axle ot a motor vehicle, it being understood that it may be connected in the same manner with the rear axle and that slight variations might be made in the arrangement of the details without atleet-ing or departing from the spirit ot the invention. 1n the drawing, Figure lirepresent's a side elevation ot' my shock absorber attached to an automobile `spring7 the front axle being shown insection; Figure 2 afperspective detail view ot a bracing or driving member used in connection with my shock absorber; Figure 3 a perspective detail view ot' a second bracing or driving member cooperating with the one shown in Figure 2, and Figure 1 a cross section along line 4,-*4 of Figure 1.

The vehicle body supporting frame (1) is shown broken away in Figure 1 and is provided with a downwardly extending sleeve (2) secured to the same by the rivets (3). The upper end (t) of the spring (6) is adapted to be fitted into the sleeve and to be firmly secured to the same by means et the bolt (7). 1t is further secured by means of a metal plate (8) held in spaced relation to the frame member (1) by means ol bolts Ordinarily the front end ot the spring is directly. secured to the axle but in my arrangement the Yt'ront end islited and supported in a perforated lug` (11) forming an integral part of a bracket (12). The latter is supported in two ditlierent places at opposite ends so that it may be7 broadly speaking, considered a lever or fulcruin an intermediate portion of which supports the front end ot the spring while the two ends are supported in the iollowing manner:

The front end (14) is pivotally supported over the front axle on a pin (16) carried in registering perforations (1T) in two parallel lugs (18) rising from the axle (19) in spaced relation. ln this connection l want to call particular attention to the fact that the pin (16) rests directly over the axle (19) No importance is attached to the particular method et supporting the pin and it does'not make any difference whether the two lugs (18) form an integral part of the member (21) shown in Figure 2 or Vwhether they are separated from said inember as long as they are supported directlyv on the axle preferably by inea-ns of the bolts (22) penetrating the langes of the t-'i-shai'ied axle and the horizontal plate (23) carrying the lugs. rThe rear end (2st) ot the levier or bracket (12) is elastically supported over the spring (6) preferably somewhat closer 'to the liront axle than to the rear end oit the spring. rlihe elastic supporting means is shown in the drawing as comprising a spiral spring ot conical outline resting on the base (27) and received in a recess ot the extension (28) oiiithe lever arm The base (27) is secured to the spring (6) by mea-ns oiI two tongues extending downwardly lrom'the base (27) in spaced relation to each other and fitting on the two sides of the spring. V'lhey are connected underneath the spring by the bolt (31) which serves at the same time as a connecting means for the two driving members (21) and shown in detail. in Figures 2 and 3. The driving member (21) extends forwardly and is rigidly secured to the front axle either as an integral part of the plate (23) supporting the two lugs (18) or independent of the same. rlhe driving member which is shown in Figure 3 as a rigid plate extends rearwardly from the pin (3l) and runs underneath the spring' into the sleeve to be secured there by the bolt 7.

It will thus be seen that the two members (2l) and (32) constitute a direct driving connection between 'the body of the vehicle and the front axle, while the spring (6) serves principally as a shock absorbing means, its qualiiica ion for this purpose being increased by thc addition ot my specilic shock absorber t" .scribed in the present application. VVlt will be noticed that any shock transmitted trom the `wheel to the iront axle and from the trent axle to the pin (1G) will tend to simultaneously litt the main sinking (G) by means oi'i the supporting lug (ll) and to press'down on an intermediate portion of the same through the spiral spring thus practically absorbing the shock beilfore the same reaches the body.

An additional 'feature for increasing the f usefulness ot the device is shown in the protendency will be to check the upward motion of 'the extreme tront end o'the spring i claim 1. l'n a vehicle, in combination, an axle,

' spacing members rising therefrom, a cantilever vehicle spring supporting the vehicle body with one end, and yielding means tor supporting the free end of the cantilever spring comprising a bracket adapted to slidably receive said i'f'ree end having Yone arm pivotally supported in the spacing members and another arm yieldingly supported over the spring, anextension of the bracket beyond its pivotal support being adapted to engage the extreme end oit the spring for checkin@ its spring action.

3. In a vehicle, in combination, an axle, spacing members rising` therefrom, a cantilever vehicle sprinj supporting the vehicle body with one end, yielding means for supporting the free end of the cantilever spring comprising arbracket adapted to slidably receive said tree endphaving one arm pivotally supported in the spacing members and another arm yieldino'ly supported Vover the spring, and a direct driving connection between the axle and the vehicle body.

L ln a vehicle, in combination, an axle, spacing members rising` therefrom, a cantilever vehicle spring supporting the vehicle body with one end, yielding means 'for supporting the tree end of the cantilever spring comprising a bracket adapted to slidably receive said tree end having one arm pivotally supported in the spacing members and' ing two longitudinal sections pivotally join-Y ed to each other and rigidly to the axle and the body.

In a vehicle, in combination, an axle,

spacing members rising therefrom, a canti` lever vehicle spring supporting the vehicle i body with one end, yielding means for supporting the free end of' the cantilever spring comprising a bracket adapted to slidably receive said free end having one arm pivot- Y ally supported in the spacingV members and another arm yieldingly supported overthe spring, and a direct driving connection bei tween the axle and the vehicle bodylcompris- Y ing two members pivotally joined to each other with the Joint secured to an intermediate portion of the spring and rigidly to Y the axle and the body.

RAYMOND RAGSDALE. 

